Saturday 9 October 2010 12.41 EDT
First published on Saturday 9 October 2010 12.41 EDT

The Japanese have a close relationship with their umbrellas. At the slightest hint of rain they are deployed with all haste, whether cycling, jogging or even standing under cover. Everyone carries a brolly, from a businessman on the daily commute to the black-clad, hair-gelled, teenage rebel. Today at Suzuka the umbrellas were out in force, with full waterproof clothing in support. The rain just would not stop, turning one of the world's great race tracks into a network of rivers and lakes as the fans in the stands waited for the qualifying session that would determine the starting order for tomorrow morning's Japanese Grand Prix.

The wait was in vain. With every passing deadline it became less likely that the cars would venture out and sadly for a crowd that would be a good race-day turn-out at some circuits, the day's entertainment amounted only two laps in the morning practice session that troubled the timekeepers.

The cagouled and brollied masses waved good-naturedly at every camera that pointed their way and in the garages the drivers did the same, with Sebastian Vettel adding in a few swimming strokes for giggles. A toy boat drifted past on the river that ran the length of the pit lane, as McLaren faced up to the need to replace Lewis Hamilton's gearbox, meaning a five-place grid penalty for the Englishman.

This is not the first time that Suzuka has had its schedule disrupted by the weather. In 2004 Typhoon Ma-on went by close enough to the island of Honshu to wash out qualifying on the Saturday, and on that occasion the grid was decided on the morning of the race as it will be tomorrow. There was no typhoon today, just sheer weight of water, enough to make driving a Formula One car with only a few centimetres of ground clearance out of the question.

Six years ago Michael Schumacher had sown up the championship by the time the F1 circus descended on Suzuka, in his last season of dominance in Formula One. Going into tomorrow morning's race there were still five drivers battling for the championship and today's washout was another twist in a season that came to the boil early and simply will not simmer down.

After two races of Fernando Alonso and Ferrari dominance, Red Bull were right back at the sharp end here, with Vettel looking as controlled as he was fast. The young German lies fourth in the standings, 21 points behind team-mate Mark Webber at the top of the pile. Back in March, as the season spluttered into life with a deceptively dud race in Bahrain, it was Vettel who was many pundits' favourite to take the title.

A mechanical glitch restricted him to fourth in the opener and then he failed to finish in Australia, but a win and two podiums in the next four races confirmed the view that his time had come. Not only was he fast but he was the smiling face of the sport, media-friendly and with a sense of humour that is out of step with much of the paddock. Then came Turkey.

The crash with his team-mate Webber as they duelled for the lead in Istanbul changed the perception of Vettel. The accident was clearly his fault, but the way Red Bull tried to point the finger at Webber, an opponent Vettel underestimated, made the 23-year-old appear like a spoiled child. Then he started to behave like one.

His win in Valencia was soon forgotten in the front-wing row and lacklustre race at Silverstone, his error behind the pace car in Hungary that led to a drive-through penalty and his harpooning of Jenson Button's McLaren at Spa. F1's once bright young thing was living up to his new image.

Something changed at Monza as the hot and bothered Vettel of the summer felt the cool of autumn. Early in the Italian Grand Prix he sensed his car, Randy Mandy as he calls his Red Bull, labouring. He was on the radio to his engineer immediately, the panic apparent to all listening in. But what he thought was an engine problem was in fact a sticking brake.

Once rectified, he drove sublimely to finish fourth and ahead of Webber, who he had earlier let by on a track where his team were expected to struggle. A fortnight ago, under the lights in Singapore, he put Alonso under pressure all the way to the flag.

Vettel won the Japanese Grand Prix here last year and on the evidence of practice, it will take something special to have bettered him in tomorrow morning's race. It is the inaugural Korean Grand Prix in two weeks, but Red Bull cars won in both Brazil and Abu Dhabi in 2009 and look perfectly equipped to do so again.

Webber may be leading the way going into the final chapters of 2010, but if Vettel can keep the Australian back in second place until the chequered flag falls at Yas Marina next month he will be champion, just as many expected.